We Could Be Together
by A.R. Van Halleorg
Summary: Emma discovers who she used to be, but will she be able to get through to the Mayor and save everyone in Storybrooke? [No, this is not a Regina loves Daniel story. She loves Emma and it has nothing to do with Daniel.]
1. Regina and Emma lived happily ever after

"…_The Queen and the Swan Princess lived happily ever after. The End."_

Emma stared down at the book sitting open in her lap, her eyes reading and re-reading the last line. No way.

August was really trying to be patient as he noted the various emotions fighting for control of Emma's face. After she managed to believe enough to save him, he felt it was time that she finally learned the truth about who she really was. "Well?" he asked, trying to get her attention. It was clear that she was done reading. Why wasn't she reacting?

Emma ignored him, staring at the drawing on the right-hand page instead. It was a picture of Queen Regina, looking a lot less evil than she used to, in the arms of her Swan Princess, who looked an awful lot like Emma. It was the loving way they looked at one another that really threw Emma for a loop. She couldn't imagine it. Being in love with Regina would be like hugging a wild bear. She imagined it would end in a mauling.

"Emma?" August pressed again, getting a little antsy. He'd been waiting so long to tell her, but she was taking forever to take it in.

Emma finally blinked, coming back to her senses and lifted her gaze to August, who was leaning against the side of the desk with his arms folded across his chest. "This…" she waved at the book, clearly unsure of how to process the image. "Look, August. I believe you, okay? You're Pinocchio. Regina is the Evil Queen. Mary Margaret is my mother. David is my father. I get it, okay, but this can't be right. This wasn't how the story ended."

"How do you think the story ended?" August asked, looking slightly amused at her assumption.

"It isn't what I think. Henry showed this story to me before and this wasn't how it ended," she stated, quite adamant that it was true. Her mind couldn't have been playing tricks, could it? "The end I saw was of my birth and the curse."

"You read the story in the book, or ripped pages?" August asked.

Emma stopped short of a reply then. Henry had ripped the pages out. He had mentioned a few times that she wasn't ready to know who she really was.

"I thought so," August looked smug and pushed away from the desk.

Emma turned the chair to keep an eye on August. "Do you really expect me to believe that this is supposed to happen? That Regina and I are supposed to fall in love?"

"I don't expect you to believe anything, Emma, but know that it will happen. I realize that it might seem a little impossible given-"

Emma cut him off then. It was ridiculous he would suggest Regina was anything less than incredibly impossible. "A little impossible? Damn it, August. This just…there's no way that this could be right. The woman hates me and I'm not exactly her biggest fan either."

"Love has never made any sense and it always has its way. I doubt it's going to make an exception for you, even less so, since you're a child born of True Love."

"But I hate her!" Emma whined. She was cursing herself for ever coming to this town. She should have got out while she had the chance.

"I think you're convince that you hate her," August agreed. "Whatever issues you might have with her, the Mayor doesn't actually hate you. Anyone can see that. Sure, you two argue worse than anyone we know, but she seems to do it to get your attention."

"Really? You're going with the pigtails in the sandbox theory? The woman loathes my existence. I think she actually said that once." Emma snapped the book shut and tossed it onto the pile of papers on the desk. "The ending just doesn't make sense, okay? How do you expect two people, who hate one another, to end up in love?"

"I'm pretty sure that Hollywood made itself a bit of a fortune with stories about exactly that."

Touché, she thought. "But this isn't Hollywood. This is real life."

"You're right. What does Hollywood know? This is real life, where True Loves get reincarnated and curses that destroy all happy endings exist. I can see that being far more plausible."

"Don't mock me." Emma really wasn't in the mood.

"I'm not mocking you, Emma." August walked back over to her and knelt down in front of her. "You saved me, because you believed. Now I need you to believe this, so you can save everyone else."

"You really don't ask for much, do you? I told you that I didn't want to be the one to do this. I don't want to be everyone's hero. Certainly not like this. And now you want me to what, seduce the Evil Queen? There has to be another way."

August sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "There is no other way. She enacted the curse. It has to be her True Love's kiss, or kill her, but we both know you aren't about to kill the mother your son has known most of his life. Besides, I didn't say you had to seduce her; just a kiss. So get over it and pucker up."

Emma stood and stepped around August. "This sucks." She paced around a bit, feeling his eyes on her. "Fine." She sighed and looked back at him. "I'll probably regret this, but whatever. I'll do it, but only because everyone else deserves to know who they are too. Now, how do I remember his life?"

"Heck if I know."

"Seriously?" Emma shouted at him. "Are you for real? You nag me to do this and you don't even know what has to be done?"

"I never said I had all the answers," August put in. "Why don't you start by trying to talk to her? Maybe it'll jog your memory a bit?"

"You say that like she's easy to talk to."

August got up off the floor and sat down in his chair. "No, I say that that like I don't have any other ideas, so just try it."

"I doubt she'd even consider listening." Emma knew it was weak as far as arguments went. She knew she had to do whatever she could to save everyone.

"Well, you'll never know until you actually try, so stop arguing and find a way to talk to her."

"I hate you." Emma muttered.

"I'm okay with that," August said, tossing her red leather jacket at her. "Get out of my room."


	2. Bad moods and strudels

**I totally stayed up an extra 2 hours to write this up. I am so going to sleep now. Enjoy!**

* * *

Emma was pacing around the kitchen when Mary Margaret showed up around 11pm. "Where have you been?" she asked, her voice a little more panicked than she would have liked.

"Uh, I was… Are you all right? Emma?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I couldn't get to sleep."

"Do you want to talk about whatever is keeping you up? It might help?"

This was what made Mary Margaret so endearing. She was the friend who was always there to talk about problems, try to come up with a solution, and fix the problem. She didn't always know what to do, but talking to her seemed to help, usually. Only this time, Emma knew that she couldn't really confide in her, because then she'd have to tell her that there really was a Fairy Tale Land and she was Snow White. She didn't think now was the best time to go through that, when she had bigger fishes to fry. "I can't really talk about it right now, but I promise I'll tell you when I can."

"Okay," Mary Margaret smiled and took off her coat, setting it aside along with her purse. "How about we bake something? Baking is a pretty calming experience."

Emma was about to protest, but stopped herself. "You know what? Yeah. I'll give it a shot. Pacing around isn't really helping me get sleep anyways." And maybe if it isn't deadly to humans, she could bring something to Regina in the hopes that it will open up talks with the woman. Excellent idea. "Hey, do you think we could make something with apples in it? It would be kind of nice to have something involving apples that didn't feel like a threat for once."

"Of course." Mary Margaret retrieved her cookbook from the cabinet near the pantry and opened it up to the deserts list. "Strudel?" She hadn't made those in a while. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd made anything with apples in it.

* * *

Emma stood in front of the Mayor's front door the next day, feeling a little silly for being there at 7am. She'd been up bright and early, despite the late night, and figured she'd bring the strudels as a surprise for breakfast. She looked down at her clothes; no wrinkles, good sign. She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, hoping it didn't look too horrible. Oh god, what was she doing? She'd spent most of the night thinking about her dilemma but she didn't realise her subconscious was already working against her. She nearly jumped backwards when an irate brunette suddenly pulled the door open. Wow, that was some scowl.

"I don't know who you think you are, Ms Swan, but whatever brings you to my doorstep at this time of morning could probably wait for a more appropriate time of day. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked with a smile on her face and a cutting tone.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just in the neighbourhood and-" Emma began with her original speech, but the infuriating woman was already interrupting her. She wanted to finish her sentence with several colourful words.

"Oh, please. Do not insult either of our intelligence. I happen to know you aren't really that stupid. No one is ever really 'just in the neighbourhood'. Why don't you tell me the real reason you felt the need to intrude on my quiet morning." The Mayor was in full-on bitch-mode this morning and she was going to take it out on her favourite verbal-punching bag.

"Why do you always feel the need to be so nasty?" Emma asked, her voice sounded dejected even to herself. Way to lead-in to more ridicule, Emma, she thought to herself. She hoped the Mayor would answer that question at some point, however, if only to figure out what stick she had up her ass about Emma Swan.

"Yes."

"Ugh, and you lecture me about manners. Do you even know what manners are, or do you reserve the ignorance of their existence for me? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? Every time you're near me you seem to turn into the biggest bitch I've ever had the misfortune of knowing."

"I don't really care to cater to whatever fantasy you have of me, Ms Swan. You're the one standing on my doorstep at 7am, accusing me of being 'the biggest bitch' you've ever had the misfortune of knowing, so if you don't like it, you are welcome to not show up on my doorstep whenever you feel like it."

"Whenever I feel like it?" Emma sputtered in outrage. "This might be the third time!"

"That's one time too many, if you don't mind my saying."

"I do mind. You make it sound like I'm at your doorstep every hour of the day."

"It certainly feels that way and if you insist on showing up here, I will have that pretty little star on your belt and give it to someone else. Am I understood, Ms Swan?"

What. A. Psychopath. Emma was seething inside. She'd only showed up to do something nice and instead, she gets this bullshit. She really hated this woman. She shoved the white plastic bag at Regina, only letting go when the woman caught it. "I understand, Madam Mayor. I only came by to give you those. Have a nice day," she said and stormed off to her bug.

Regina grinned, watching as the hideous yellow car raced away from her home. She took a step back into her house and closed the door, heading back towards the kitchen. "Henry? Have you finished your cereal?" She made sure to toss the bag into the trash on her way back to the table. Sure enough, he hadn't finished the cereal in her absence. She returned to her seat, where her newspaper awaited her.

Henry looked at his mother, noting the stiffness in her posture. "Was that Emma?" Emma was the only person who ever made his mother look this stiff.

"Finish your cereal, Henry."

"Was the bag from her?" he asked, ignoring her and going over to the trashcan.

"Henry, really. Sit down and finish your breakfast. I will not have you going through the trash like some kind of vagrant." A part of her was kind of curious about the bag's contents, though she'd never admit that out loud.

Once Henry placed the bag on the counter, he unknotted the bag and peered inside. His face lit up with excitement. "Mom, look!" He pulled out a plastic covered plate, filled with pastries. He took the plate to the table and placed it delicately on the surface, starting to unwrap the treats.

"Henry!"

"What? It was wrapped _and_ in a bag." He finally peeled away the plastic and took a whiff of the food. "They smell fresh, too. I didn't know she baked."

"I doubt that woman could cook, let alone bake. She probably got it at the diner," Regina scoffed.

"That's just mean to say; besides, they don't make strudels at the diner," he explained, like she should know better. He grabbed one and took a big bite out of it. It tasted like heaven. Like delicious on clouds. "You have to try one of these, Mom. They're really good."

"You already have a breakfast, Henry. Why don't you try eating it?"

"Because this is better than Bran cereal?" He took another bite and sat back down on his chair to finish it. He watched his Mom and how she kept eyeing the food as discretely as she could manage, hoping he didn't notice. She's so stubborn, he thought, when she still refused to take one for herself. He finally decided to make her feel less watched and started eating his soggy Bran cereal. Sure enough, after a spoonful, she spoke up.

"They are edible then?" Regina wondered if the Sheriff had actually made them herself.

Henry didn't bother responding, since she didn't really want an answer.

Regina grabbed up one of the strudels, trying not to get icing on her fingers, but failed. She licked the icing off her index finger and took a bite of the strudel. She hated herself the moment the tasty treat hit her tongue. It was delicious. In fact, she had to admit to herself, in her head, that it was probably one of the most delicious apple pastries she'd ever had that wasn't her own.

"Good, huh?" Henry asked, a smug smile on his face.

"Put your bowl away. There's no use eating soggy cereal. It can't be very appealing."

"Oh sure, you say that now. Can I have another one?"

"You didn't need my permission a moment ago and we wouldn't want good pastries going to waste."

"Right," Henry agreed and forced himself not to roll his eyes. She'd just thrown them all in the trash. She'd been ready to waste them all for her hate of his blonde mother. He grabbed up his bowl and brought it to the sink, then went back for more yummy food goodness.

* * *

**Mmm. So hungry now. Review...even just to say you love strudels. Yummy. Not the toast kind...real strudels.**


	3. Early mornings and a nice surprise

**Sorry, I realize the dialogue is a lot fuller than the descriptions, but I'm still not used to writing prose. I come from a script background.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. It's wonderful to be getting such good responses. :D Enjoy!**

* * *

August lay sprawled out, face down on his bed, when a shrill sound awoke him. He lifted his head, cracked open an eye and looked at the alarm. Who the hell was calling him at 7:20am on a Saturday morning? He reached over and grabbed the receiver of the ancient looking phone, pressing it against his ear and dropped his head back on his pillow. "Hello?"

"Meet me in the diner."

Emma. Of course it was Emma.

August rolled onto his back and sighed. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You want me to fall in love with an Evil Queen, thus saving all of Storybrooke, the least you can do is get up and come down the stairs."

"Fine," he put the receiver back and let out a half-grown/half-sigh. It had to be a crime to wake someone at this hour. He rolled out of bed, grabbed the jeans and shirt on the chair next to the bed and headed into the bathroom.

* * *

"Took you long enough," Emma muttered when August showed up in the diner 10 minutes later.

"Have you seen the time? I needed to wake up and a shower was a pretty good way to do that. Deal with it." He looked over to Ruby who was coming in from the backroom. "Can I have a coffee?"

"Sure thing, coming right up."

"Thanks," August said and slumped down in the booth across the table from Emma. "Is there any particular reason you decided to wake me up at this abhorrent time of morning?"

"Not particularly, no. I just felt that someone else needed to suffer this awful morning with me," Emma shrugged and took a sip of her cinnamon hot chocolate.

"Here you go," Ruby arrived at the table, placed a cup down and poured the coffee into it. "Cream and sugar next to you. Did you want something to eat?"

August noted Emma's glare at the mere mention of anything to eat and shook his head. "Maybe later."

Ruby laughed. "Okay, you just let me know when Grumpy-pants here decides that it's okay to consume food again."

"Hey!" Emma spoke up, mildly outraged. She totally knew that she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't help it. The mere idea of food this morning reminded her of Regina's earlier reaction to her presence and made her want to punch her hand through a wall.

"Are you all right?" August finally asked after taking a sip of delicious hot coffee and placing it back on the table. "You seem a little…upset."

"Upset? I'm outraged. I tried to do something nice and that's the last time I do anything nice for that snake," she hissed. "I don't even know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have bothered. I could have been in bed. I could be sleeping."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," August spoke up, trying to slow down the amount of words coming out of her mouth. "What are you even talking about?"

"Regina!" Emma spat out and mumbled something incoherent.

"Emma, forgive me but I just woke up. I can't keep up with mumbles. What did you do?"

"I couldn't sleep, okay?" Emma said, exasperated and quickly quieted her voice. "I was up late last night, thinking about his- DAMNIT, my life. Trying to remember something, anything. Wondering if I could really do what everyone needs me to do, to save everyone."

"Okay… What does this have to do with Regina? Emma, you didn't go to her house last night, did you?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay, good."

"I went to her house this morning."

"Emma!" August looked thoroughly appalled.

"What? It's not like this is my fault. It was totally _his_ fault."

"Oh really? You're blaming a dead guy for your insanity? How did you expect things to go well with her, if you show up at her house at some god-awful hour of the morning?"

"It _is _his fault. I just wanted to make strudels, like Mary Margaret suggested, and the next thing I know, I'm thinking about how I'm going to use it as a way to get Regina to talk to me."

"Excuse me? You made her strudels?" He didn't think that Emma even looked like the kind of girl who knew how to cook... forget baking.

"They weren't for her. Well, not originally anyway," Emma muttered. She wished she hadn't thought it was a good idea to let her have them.

"You can bake?" August really had to know.

"Listen, Pinocchio, I will get violent if I need to," Emma pointed out.

"Okay, okay!" he raised his hands in defence. "So these strudels..." he tried not to laugh at the glare he was getting. "You gave them to her?"

"I guess you could say that. After our verbal warfare, I ended up just throwing them into her arms and storming off."

"Smooth."

"Shut up."

"You know, I'm thinking that I might actually have to tell you how to deal with women, before trying to push you at an Asp."

Emma sat back in the booth and folded her arms across her chest. "I am perfectly capable of dealing with women."

"I can tell. That's why she thinks you're crazy and you're sitting here being angry at her."

Emma dropped an arm to the cup on the table and lifted it to her lips. She took several long sips, glaring at him all the while. She wanted to blow up and shout at him about all this insanity, but kept it inside. There wasn't any use. She wasn't going to kill the psychopath, so she'd have to suck it up and just keep improving her game. She set the cup back down on the table. "Okay, how do I fix this?"

"You don't," he shrugged and took a gulp of coffee, coughing when his throat got burned. He forgot how hot it was.

"I don't?"

"No. Wait for her to talk to you."

"Oh good, we'll wait for another Ice Age then."

"You meant well when you showed up at her house, Emma. Once she sees that, she'll come talk to you, I promise." He looked her in the eye to make sure that she understood that. Clearly she felt like she was way in over her head, but she wasn't all that far off. "She might be the Evil Queen, but she's a woman, and women like when you do nice things for them."

"All right," Emma said with a nod. "I'll wait." She got up headed over to the counter where Ruby was reading Little Red Riding Hood. "You can let him eat now. I'm going to the station."

"Have fun Sheriff," Ruby gave her a dazzling smile and put the book down on the counter, getting ready to do some cooking.

"Loads. Paperwork is awesome stuff," Emma chuckled and left the diner feeling a lot better than she had when she arrived.

* * *

Emma lay in her office chair with her feet on her desk and her head knocked back, her mouth open, snoring; quite attractive. She'd spent the last couple of hours working on the most boring stuff in her world: paperwork.

That's exactly how Regina found her, when she got to the station and made her way into the Sheriff's office. She lifted a hand and gently rapped on the office door, waking the blonde from her slumber.

Emma lifted her head so fast that she felt dizzy. She put a hand to her head and tried to make the world stop moving. Once under control, she moved to get up, but the brunette shook her head. She sat back and looked at her khaki coloured pants and simple maroon long-sleeve shirt. She couldn't remember the last time the Mayor had looked so casual. It was kind of nice.

Then she remembered the argument from earlier. What did Regina want now? Wasn't one argument enough for the week?

"I just came to apologize," Regina said, before Emma could say anything to annoy her.

"Get out of here," Emma said, stunned at the mere concept. Was she actually hearing this?

Regina's shoulders slumped a little. "I understand." She turned away to leave, but stopped when she heard a sound come out of Emma. She turned back to look at the Sheriff, a brow raised. "What was that sound?"

Emma's eyes were wide. Had she just squawked? "I- Nothing. I didn't literally mean for you to leave. It's just an expression."

"Right," Regina felt a little silly about taking the woman at her word. "Ms Swan. I just wanted to say that while you might think that I'm the biggest bitch the world has ever see-"

"I never said the world," Emma pointed out.

Regina lowered a stern look in Emma's direction. "I might be a bitch, Ms Swan, but I do know when I need to apologize. It would appear that you were just trying to do something nice and perhaps I might have been a little ruder than I should have."

No freaking way! As August promised, Regina delivered. "Oh. Well, uh, that's okay. We both said words that were a little stronger than they should have been. I'm sorry I called you the biggest bitch I've ever had the misfortune of knowing."

"Great. We're both sorry then."

"You didn't actually say you were sorry."

Regina glared. What was with this woman? The intent was clear, why did she have to say the words? "I've said what I wanted to. That's all you're going to get." She lifted the bag she'd been holding in her hand and placed it on the desk. "I cleaned the plate for you."

Emma looked surprised when she saw the bag. "Did you enjoy them?" she asked, looking directly into the Mayor's eyes, watching for a lie.

"Henry and I were pleasantly surprised." Regina turned back to the door, but stopped herself from leaving. "Why did you make them?"

"I was a little on edge last night. Mary Margaret decided that I should try to bake something. I guess it's her way of relieving stress."

"It was her recipe then?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No. No, of course not. I appreciate the gesture, regardless of the origin of the recipe. Thank you, Ms Swan. Have a nice day." With that, Regina left the office, before Emma could say anything else.

Emma slumped down in her chair and blew at a strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes. "I totally saw that happening today." Not. Regina had appreciated the gesture and enjoyed the pastries. Score 1 for Team Emma and dead guy! She mentally high-fived herself.

* * *

**Now I want a hot chocolate. This story is going to be the death of me through potential lack of healthy nourishment.**

**Enjoyed it? Review…even if it's about hot chocolates and your favourite topping. Or, you know…what you think will happen next or what you'd like to see. :D Always fun to know.**

**[I totally put cinnamon on my hot chocolate...on anything really. I'm obsessed with the stuff.]**


	4. Shouldn't have said that

**Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with work. Decided to make this chapter a little longer than the others. Hope you enjoy it. It's a little…dramatic.**

**A million and one thanks for all the reviews!**

* * *

Henry sat in the backseat of his Mom's car, head resting against the back, looking down his nose at the doors to the station. He lifted his arm to check the time on his watch and dropped it back at his side. What was taking her so long? It couldn't take this long to put a plate on a desk and leave, right? He sighed. She was probably yelling at Emma again… unless maybe she wasn't being the Evil Queen for once and was actually being nice to her, since she brought them yummy stuff for breakfast.

He saw the door start to push open and sat up straighter.

She jogged over to the car as quickly as her heels allowed her and opened the door.

"That was fast," he pointed out as she sunk down into the driver's seat and slammed the door.

She looked up into the rear-view mirror, a brow raised at her son. "How long did you think it would take, Henry? I only need to hand her a plate."

"Well, then I guess you took a lot longer than you need to," he stated with absolute certainty. He knew that sort of think really riled her up. Sure enough, he watched her brow lower and a stern look cross her features. "Why did it take so long?"

"Enough, Henry. Not everything I do needs to be suspicious. I was simply thanking Ms Swan for the strudels. Now, buckle up or we're not going to the picnic." It wasn't much as far as threats go, but she just wasn't into it today.

As for Henry, well, his Mom didn't need to tell him twice. He wasn't about to miss a chance to talk to Mary Margaret about what transpired that morning. She'd probably know why Emma brought them food to begin with.

* * *

Henry hopped out of the car, before the engine was fully stopped. At least the car was parked, he thought. He heard his Mom shouting after him, but he ignored her and ran to find Mary Margaret. He found her standing with Ruby by the food, waiting by the barbeques. "Hey, Ruby! Hey, Mary Margaret," he squinted in the sunlight and smiled at them both. "What are we having?"

"Well," Snow said in her overly positive voice, "we're going to make some hot dogs and burgers. How do you like that?"

Henry's eyes lit up. "Oh! Can I have 2 burgers? Can I, please?" he put on his best-excited face and received a nod for his efforts. "Thanks, guys!" He spotted his mother finally heading in their direction and quickly drew Mary Margaret aside. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said, without hesitation.

"Do you know why-"

"Henry." Regina spoke his name lowly, a look on her face that clearly indicated her disapproval of him hopping out of the car before it was fully stopped.

"Sorry, Mom," he sighed. He'd have to ask Mary Margaret later.

"Henry, why don't you find us a seat?"

"But, Mom-"

"Henry," she spoke more sternly, clearly not in the mood for arguments.

"Okay." He slumped his shoulders and walked away from them. On the plus side, if his Mom was about to tear off Mary Margaret's head, he wasn't about to witness it.

Regina waited for Henry to be out of earshot and turned her gaze back to his teacher. "You're going to tell me why Ms Swan decided to show up at my doorstep at 7am with a plate of strudels."

"I was wondering who she gave them to," Mary Margaret said, almost relieved it wasn't for August. That guy kind of gave her the creeps if she had to be honest about it. She shrugged at the threatening look on the Mayor's face at her comment. "She was stressed out last night. I thought I'd distract her by getting her to bake. She did wonderfully, don't you think?"

"Indeed," Regina agreed; a sour look on her face. "I admit I was pleasantly surprised. There's nothing quite like apples to start your day." She turned away when Mary Margaret opened her mouth to respond. "If you'll excuse me."

Mary Margaret watched her walk off. How rude. She turned back to Ruby and the two shared a quiet laugh, so that the Mayor didn't hear them. "Who knew that the Mayor's weakness was her stomach?"

* * *

Emma wanted to get her gun out and shoot herself in the head. Not really, though. Why did paperwork have to be this boring? More importantly, why did she even think it was a good idea to do paperwork on a Saturday, when she could be out doing- Well, nothing, actually, because she didn't really have anything to do; unless you count her little mission, but she totally wasn't counting that.

Her phone rang, causing her to jump in her chair. "Damn it!" She sat forward a little and pulled the phone out of her back pocket. She rolled her eyes when she saw the name on the display; August, of course. She flipped the phone open and put it up to her ear. "What do you want?"

"Hello to you too," August laughed through the phone. "I just passed by the school; they're doing that picnic thing, which the Mayor deemed worthy of her presence, and yet, the Sheriff isn't there. Where are you?"

"I'm at the station, doing paperwork."

"Sounds like the greatest fun in the world… Oh, wait, it isn't. Why aren't you at the picnic with them?"

"What? Are you serious? I thought you told me that I didn't have to do this in one day."

"Well I definitely didn't tell you to sit around doing paperwork on a Saturday, when you could be trying to get on the in with the Mayor."

"Auuugust," Emma whined.

"Come on, Emma. Where's your sense of adventure? Who knows, you might enjoy yourself."

"I don't think so. She might have apologized, but I highly doubt she'll enjoy me interrupting time with Henry."

"You got her to apologize?" August definitely seemed interested in that.

"I guess."

"Well, either she apologized or she didn't."

Emma laughed. "While you might know more about women, you don't know Regina. That woman's version of an apology is the intention behind her words. She just assumes you got the memo. She won't say it."

August was quiet for a moment, and then spoke up. "I don't envy your task."

"And yet, you make me do it anyway."

"I'm just thinking about your future, Emma," August stated as seriously as he could manage. "Thinking about your happiness… With the Evil Queen."

"August?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Go to the picnic," August said and hung up on her.

Emma snapped her phone shut and slumped back in her chair. She didn't want to go. She wasn't going.

* * *

Henry was the first to spot Emma as she got out of her squad car and walked across the grass, adjusting her black leather jacket with the fluffy lining. He lowered the hot dog he had in his hand and smiled her way.

Regina looked confused for a moment and then looked to the source of her son's smile; Emma Swan. She sighed. Would this woman never leave her alone? Strudels or not, she wasn't willing to spend too much time with her, if she could help it. She tried to think of a way to say 'Hell, no' without being too offensive for her son.

"Emma! Hey, Emma!" Henry waved her over. "Come sit with us!"

Too late, Regina thought and mentally face-palmed.

Emma made her way over and gave a shy smile to the two of them, feeling a little watched by the crowd around them on various blankets. "Hey, Kid." She shifted her gaze to the dour looking Regina. "Madam Mayor. Do you mind if I join you two? 'Cause if not, I can go find Mary Margaret, I don't mind."

"When have I ever not minded your presence, Sheriff?" Regina snapped at her and instantly felt Henry's eyes on her, so much for not seeming offensive. She probably could have been a little more tactful.

Emma looked really awkward then. Rough. She was expecting a lot, mostly in the lines of sarcasm and bad attitude, but that last one was just mean, coming off such a promising start of the day. "I'm going to find Mary Margaret." She looked back at Henry. "I'll come find you later." She tucked her hands in her front pockets and left without another word.

Regina looked at her son then and noticed the glare hadn't gone away. Maybe she could feign ignorance? "What?"

"You know what."

"Oh, about her staying? Henry, she doesn't always need to do things with us. She said she would come back later."

Henry dropped the hot dog back on his plate and glared at his Mom. "Why do you always have to be so horrible?" he shouted at her, getting up. "She didn't even do anything to you!" He stormed off.

Regina looked a little hurt by Henry's outburst and huffed, slumping her shoulders a little. She grabbed up a piece of Broccoli and popped it into her mouth. She kept her eyes down, avoiding the looks she knew she was getting by everyone else, and focussed on chewing her food. This must be what shame felt like it.

* * *

"Ems! Hey, Ems!" Ruby waved Emma over to where she and Mary Margaret sat with a few of the other teachers.

Emma dragged herself over and sat down on the blanket. "I really hate that woman," she quietly seethed.

"Having a rough day?" Mary Margaret asked, placing a comforting hand on Emma's arm. "We have food; lots of it."

Emma shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not really hungry right now."

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"Regina." Both Emma and Mary Margaret answered at the same time.

"What did she do now?"

"She was being a royal bitch, as usual," Emma muttered and grabbed a hot dog. "You try to do something nice for someone and they just end up disappointing you." She stuck a knife into the mustard and spread it over the hot dog. "Is it really so hard for that woman to act like a civilized human being?"

"She seemed like she was in a decent mood earlier," Mary Margaret mused. "Maybe someone upset her, before you got here."

"Nah. It's just me. She hates me and the feeling is mutual."

"Oh, Emma. That's simply not true. Regina… Well, Regina has her own set of issues and they have nothing to do with you. It only seems like she hates you," Mary Margaret said, trying to stay positive. Clearly she failed, if Ruby's dubious look had anything to show for her efforts.

"No, I think Emma is right. Regina hates her," Ruby held a hand up to stop Mary Margaret from arguing with her. "I don't know what you did, but when someone reacts worse after you treat them nice, it's because whatever you're doing, is having an effect on them. Just keep doing nice stuff. She'll have to cave eventually."

Mary Margaret shut her mouth and looked contemplative. That actually made sense. "That's a really good idea, Ruby."

"I think you're both crazy," Emma rolled her eyes. She was doing that a lot today. "Look. I'm just going to stay here with you guys, have some food, and then go back home to take a nice long, hot, bath."

* * *

True to her word, Emma left the picnic, deciding to find Henry the next day. She drew a bath as soon as she got home and sank down amidst a sea of bubbles. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Peace, finally.

It was almost twenty minutes later, when a loud knocking was heard throughout the apartment.

Emma sat up, listening for the sound of a key, but heard nothing. That wasn't Mary Margaret. She growled. Who could possibly be knocking on her door at the most inopportune moment?

Another knock.

"Ugh! I'm coming!" she shouted and got out of the tub, splashing water all over the floor. She grabbed her robe and threw it around herself, heading to the front door. She grabbed the handle and flung the door wide open, only to find Regina on the other side. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" She was livid. The woman ruined her day and now she was ruining her relaxing bath too?

Regina visibly flinched at both the volume and vexation in Emma's voice. She cleared her throat. "I deserve that," she said, her voice quiet, hoping the woman didn't completely lose control and tried to strangle her or something.

"What the hell do you want, Regina?"

"I just- I… Can I come in for a moment?"

Emma looked down at her robe, then back to Regina again. "I was kind of in the middle of a bath. How about you talk to me on Monday?" Emma moved to close the door, but Regina pushed it open again.

"Please. I won't take up much of your time," her eyes were pleading. She was good at that.

"Fine." Emma walked away from the door and took a seat on the arm of the sofa. "Speak."

Regina closed the door and took a step in Emma's direction, then stopped. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

"That's all right," Emma said, though she didn't know why she had. "You'll just have to find some way to make it up to me." She heard herself speak, but where had that come from?

Regina felt like she'd been slapped in the face. Her pleading eyes were now filled with fury. She stepped the rest of the distance to Emma and shouted in her face. "Where did you hear that?" How could she have known? Did she know the truth about Regina? What game was the Sheriff playing?

"What? I don't know. It just kind of came out."

"Things like that don't just come out, Ms Swan. Now tell me. Where. Did. You. Hear. That." The vein in Regina's forehead was protruding more than usual. She could feel a severe headache coming on. "Tell me!"

"I can't!" Emma shouted back at her and stood, making the Mayor backup two steps. "And stop yelling at me! Shit, I'm sick of you taking your shit out on me." She stepped closer to the Mayor and jabbed her in the chest with a finger, making the woman backup even further.

"Tell me who told you to say that," Regina said again, completely ignoring anything else the blonde had to say. Someone must have told Emma about Daniel. There was no way she could know about him otherwise.

"Fine!" Emma backed away from the Mayor. "I'm him. Okay?"

"What?" Regina was sure she heard that wrong. She looked down towards Emma's legs, then back up, confused.

"No. Not like that. I'm me, but I'm him too. I just can't remember anything, okay? I can't remember, but clearly I just blurted something out that he would have said."

"That's not possible," Regina whispered.

"Yeah well, I've learned that many things shouldn't be possible, but they are." Emma shrugged. "Like Mary Margaret and David being my parents, or you being the Evil Queen, or me… being Daniel."

Regina shook her head. No. That definitely wasn't possible. The woman she hated, couldn't be the man she once loved.

"Regina?"

"I don't know who told you to say those things to me, Emma Swan, but you're never to repeat that name, ever again. I might be mean, but that was just cruel. Good day, Ms Swan." She turned and grabbed hold of the doorknob, pulling the door open. For a moment she stood, frozen, staring at Mary Margaret, who looked equally shocked. "How much did you hear?"

"I-" Mary Margaret wasn't sure how much she should admit to, but opted for the truth in the end. "Everything."

"Do I need to tell you not to repeat this to anyone outside? I obviously can't stop you from talking to Ms Swan."

"Of course. I won't say anything."

"Very good. Good day, Ms Blanchard," Regina brushed past her.

Mary Margaret entered the apartment and closed the door quietly behind her. "Emma?" She asked the blond, who stood, staring at the floor. "Emma?"

Emma lifted her head and her eyes met Mary Margaret's.

"I have two questions for you… Who's Daniel? And most importantly… What did you mean that David and I are your parents?"

* * *

**Arghhhh. Just saying. Emma and Regina are frustrating. I swear they do it on purpose. I'd say I'm sorry that it isn't all love and kittens yet, but they're kinda just itching for a cat fight or something. Maybe next chapter **


	5. The Swan Princess, not Daniel

**For those of you still following the story, much appreciated! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I had fun writing it. Progress has finally arrived.**

**As amended in the description. Regina falls for Emma, not Daniel.**

**For all those that reviewed, thank you so much! Everyone else, don't be afraid to review, I like knowing if you love or hate it. (Totally hope you don't hate it though)**

* * *

Regina's slammed her foot down on the gas pedal and peeled down the street in her Mercedes, hell bent on getting as far away from Emma as possible, back to the safety of her home, preferably.

Her eyes were blurred from the tears in them; she reached up, angrily wiping them from her cheeks. How dare they betray her that way? She never cried. No, she kept it inside and suffered in silence, but now it had come bubbling to the surface. Why did she have to mention his name? Where had she even heard it? Who told her? Gold might have told her. She'd make sure to have a talk with him tomorrow. What was Emma Swan going to do with the information she had? How would she use it against her?

So many questions bombarded Regina's mind, but no answers were forthcoming. She strongly suspected she wouldn't find one, until either Gold or the Sheriff provided one for her.

She suddenly slammed the breaks, having just realized she was about to run through a red light. The tires squealed loudly as the car came to a stop, the nose of the car just passing over the line at the traffic light. She sucked in a shaky breath, exhaled slowly and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. Focus. Just focus, or you'll never get home in one piece, she thought to herself. She lifted her head as the light turned green and slowly pressed on the gas again.

* * *

Mary Margaret set her things aside and went into their kitchen area. "Do you want a hot chocolate?" she asked, already grabbing what she needed.

"Yeah, that'd be nice, thanks." So much for a quiet bath, she sighed to herself and made her way over to one of the tall stools by the counter. "Do you need any help?" she asked after a few awkward moments of watching Mary Margaret pace around, ignoring the ingredients.

"What? No, I'm good. Great, in fact," she said and got the milk, pouring it into the small pot, placing it on the stove and setting the heat. She finally turned to look at Emma. "You know, it kind of makes sense now."

"What does?" Emma asked.

"The hot chocolate. The Cinnamon. It's not exactly a normal combination. I drink it. You drink it. Henry drinks it. I suppose that he's my grandson, if I'm your mother?" she asked it so matter-of-factly, as she prepared the chocolate powder in two mugs.

Emma stared at her, open-mouthed for a moment and finally nodded. "Uh, yeah."

A big smile took Mary Margaret and she laughed, her voice almost blissful and tears in her eyes. Imagine, a world where she had a whole family. She wasn't alone. "I'm not going to remember anything, am I? At least, not until the curse is broken, right?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't think so."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to wait for it to break. Maybe prod you in the right direction," she turned around, grabbed the pot and poured the hot milk into each mug. "August might soon become my dearest ally."

"Please, don't," Emma pleaded, "It's bad enough that I have to deal with him."

"But we can help you! Everyone deserves to be happy, Emma. We can help you," she said, her voice sounding rather dreamy. "You deserve to be happy," she lifted one of the hot mugs up and over the separation.

"You're such a sap sometimes," Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly and accepted the steaming mug from Mary Margaret, placing it on the counter in front of her.

"Can I still help?" Emma's head barely had time to nod, before Mary Margaret raced around the counter, nearly tackling Emma in a hug.

"Okay! Okay!" Emma laughed and grabbed hold of the counter to not fall backwards on the floor. Maybe having a Mom wouldn't be so bad. She'd have to see once she remembered who she was.

* * *

Regina was tired. She'd spent most of the night thinking about what had transpired at Ms Blanchard's apartment; Snow's apartment that she shared with her daughter. The woman might not remember who she was, but Emma knew.

Emma. Emma was Daniel, but she wasn't. There was nothing about Emma Swan that reminded her of him. Well, not until she'd said what she had, but it was clear the woman was having a memory of some sort. That didn't actually make her Daniel, did it?

She'd spent most of the night considering the implications. Did all this mean that she was meant to like Emma? She didn't like her very much, that much was obvious. There was an obvious disdain, but even she knew that most of it was due to the threat the woman was to all that she'd created.

There was a knock at the door, causing her to look towards the large double-doors to her office. "Yes?" she called out.

The left door opened and her assistant, Martha, poked her red head through the space. "Madam Mayor. Sheriff Swan is here to see you."

Regina shook her head. "Not today," she said, surprising her assistant. It was their weekly meeting, but she wasn't ready to deal with the blonde.

Apparently Emma Swan was having none of it. She pushed the door open and stepped around the shorter woman. "You aren't getting out of talking to me, Regina."

"I have other things that need to get done today, Ms Swan. Don't flatter yourself." Lies. All lies, Regina, she told herself. Who are you even kidding? This woman has the answers you need.

"I really don't care." Emma was unapologetic for both the intrusion and her tone. After the way that Regina had raved last night, she wasn't going to let the woman to continue her little rampages. Enough was enough.

Regina stood and came around the desk, looking Emma directly in the eye. "Leave us," she said to her assistant.

Martha looked a little hesitant, her green eyes looking between the two women. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. There is nothing to fear from Ms Swan. Even if she did want to strangle me, she wouldn't get away with it." She waited for her assistant to leave, keeping her eyes trained on the Sheriff. "What the hell do you want, Ms Swan? This is highly inappropriate."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Emma admitted quietly and stepped around Regina, going to sit on one of the chairs by the fireplace. She remembered the last time she'd sat there, when Henry had been hiding and Regina had tricked her into saying he was crazy.

"I am fine, Ms Swan," Regina said, drawing Emma's attention to her and turned on the spot. "Satisfied? Now leave. You aren't welcome here."

"Do you ever shut up?" Emma wondered, not entirely malicious in her tone. She sighed when she noted Regina's highly offended posture. "Please, just sit down," she sounded tired, even to her own ears.

Regina gave in and moved to one of the chairs, smoothing down the back of her skirt, before sitting down.

"Look," Emma began, "Things got a little over-heated last night. We both said things and behaved like we shouldn't have, but that was the last time. This needs to stop. You will stop screaming at me all the time, we will stop arguing about every little thing, and we will speak to one another with the respect that a fellow human being deserves."

"Now where's the fun in that," Regina asked, crossing her arms across her knees and leaning forward a little, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Damn it, Regina!" Emma wanted to weep. Why was this woman so damn stubborn all the time? "I don't want to fight anymore!"

"Who's fighting? You're the one who's raising their voice, dear," Regina said, looking quite smug.

"Could you at least try? Why does it have to be this hard?"

"Fine," Regina stated simply.

"Great," Emma was relieved. Progress. "Can we talk about last night?"

Regina smiled at her, but it never reached her eyes. "No."

"No?" Emma repeated.

"No," Regina reiterated in agreement.

"Why not?"

"I am quite certain, Ms Swan, that I asked you never to speak his name again."

"Well then it's a good thing I haven't mentioned it and you didn't ask, you commanded it."

"I don't want to talk about it at all."

And ten steps back. The two stared at one another for several long moments, trying to stare each other down, until Emma gave up and spoke. "Why?"

Regina growled in frustration. Sometimes she just wanted to wrap her hands around the Sheriff's neck and squeeze it. "Because he wouldn't have understood!"

Emma's eyes widened. Had the Mayor actually growled? It sounded like an animal; a big, scary, werewolf-like animal.

"And you decided this all on your own?"

"I want to know who told you about him."

"August," Emma said, without argument.

"That filthy motorist that was talking to Henry?" Regina asked, looking appalled.

"He isn't filthy. Just because someone drives a motorcycle, doesn't mean they're-"

"How does he even know anything? What makes you think you can trust anything he has to say?" Regina rambled, her eyes demanding a response far more than her tone was.

"When you enacted the curse… He came here with me. He survived the curse and his book says I'm D-"

"Don't!" Regina felt herself shake with rage. "Don't you dare say his name!"

Emma was beginning to wonder if Regina hated Daniel, or if she loved him so much and everything hurt bad enough that she couldn't hear it. But if she loved him so much, shouldn't she be a little happy that Emma might be him? No, of course not, she thought, ruefully. Regina hated her, she wouldn't be happy about this. "I'm sorry," she said, finally.

There was a longer period of silence this time, both looking away from the other. It was Regina who finally spoke up; the look on her face made it clear that the secret was out and there wasn't anything to be done about it. Part of her thoughts the night before had been about Emma being her new True Love. If that were the case, then she needed to make sure they were both clear on the 'new' part. "He was my past, Ms Swan. I'd like to keep him there."

Emma was definitely confused now. What had she missed? Had she missed an entire conversation? It sounded like Regina was trying to tell her something, but she wasn't getting it.

"What did your silly little book have to say about us? I doubt your friend would have mentioned him for the sake of it."

Regina was smart, of that, Emma was certain. The woman hadn't gotten where she was today by being slow. She chewed her lip and let out a puff of breath. "The Queen and the Swan Princess lived happily ever after," she recited.

The usually fiery brunette suddenly looked fierce in thought, until she nodded. "The Swan Princess. Not Daniel. Now get out of my office, Ms Swan."

"But-"

"You wanted to talk. I talked. Don't push me."

Emma shut her mouth and got out of her chair, not wanting to test the woman. This was the longest they'd gone without major verbal warfare. She left the office and wondered at the Mayor's words. She hadn't argued the ending, just that it wasn't about Daniel.

* * *

The Mayor managed to avoid Emma for the rest of the day and most of the next, until she finally decided, after even more thought, that she'd go and see the Sheriff. She heard talking was a good thing. Damn Dr Hopper.

She snuck into the station, it was nearly 8pm and the Sheriff's car was still parked out front. She knocked on the open door, trying not to startle the woman, but failed.

Emma leapt back from her desk, throwing a hand over her chest, where her heart raced, trying to break out of her ribcage. "Jesus, Regina! You scared me."

"My apologies," Regina said, unusually soft-spoken. She indicated to the chairs in front of Emma's desk. "May I?" For once, she actually waited for Emma's permission, before doing what she wanted. "I've had some time to think about it and I think that if we can avoid past issues, we might get on."

A genuine smile reached Emma's lips, relief spreading through her body. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, that she'd been carrying for the last 2 days, since she'd told Regina. "I can live with that."

"I'd also like to apologize for shouting at you. I admit that I was surprised and I was quick to anger, when I should have kept an even head."

Emma's mind raced. She never imagined that the Mayor even knew what an apology was. It was a surreal experience to be witnessing it now. She realized she should probably say something. "I think we can both agree that I'm partly to blame. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that. I'm sorry for that."

Regina waved her off. "Nonsense. I am an adult. I am capable of controlling my emotions and I didn't."

Emma wasn't going to argue with her. If she wanted to blame herself, she'd let her, but at least she'd said she was sorry too. "So…about that thing you asked me…how do you feel about the end of our story?"

"I think that there is a fine line between love and hate, Ms Swan. It would not surprise me to discover that there may be feelings there. Besides, has the book ever really been wrong about happy endings?"

Clearly Regina had already read the book. "No, I guess not."

Regina sat back in the chair and regarded Emma, finally asking what she'd been thinking for 2 days. "Why did you make me strudels, Ms Swan?"

Emma felt her cheeks grow hot. "What makes you think they were yours?"

"Really? After the things you know? How dumb do you think I am?"

"Not at all." Emma wriggled in her seat, uncrossing her legs under her desk and sat up straighter. "Honestly, I thought it was him. I thought maybe he wanted me to give them to you. I think a part of me just wanted that story to be true and when Mary Margaret offered to show me how to bake, I just thought… well maybe if I just tried, maybe I could get my happy ending; like my parents."

"You know, I believe in some ways, we are very much alike, you and I, Ms Swan," Regina said with a tilt of her head, considering that thought in itself.

"Maybe that's why we hate each other so much," Emma joked and laughed a little at her own words.

"Do you hate me?" Regina asked, finding that she hoped the answer was no. If Emma didn't hate her, then maybe they could get a happy ever after. Maybe she wouldn't have chosen her, but they shared a son and eventually her feelings would change.

"I never hated you, Regina," Emma said, looking her right in the eye to make sure she understood. "I tried to be nice to you, you kind of scared me. I tried reasoning with you; anything to be on your good side, but you just kept shoving at me, so I shoved back. I just felt like it would never end. You made me so angry."

"You threatened everything I worked hard for," Regina reasoned.

"I still do though, don't I? I mean, if the story is true, then the curse breaks."

"If the story is true, then I'll have the happy ending I've fought so hard to get, Ms Swan."

The two looked serious for another moment, until Regina finally cracked a smile and Emma smiled back.

* * *

**There's so much more to all this. I broke it up between chapters lol. I hate this show, it makes me want hot chocolate so bad. I hate my story even more, because again, I want strudels... Feed the German. Feed the German!**

**Review please :D I like to hear what you think!**


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